Hard to kill plants for anyone who thinks they've got a black thumb

May 1, 2025

I don't think a black thumb is really a thing, because most plants that die on people die from too much water or the wrong spot, and if you start with plants that forgive both of those you'll find out pretty quickly that you can grow things after all.

Start with the spot

Before you buy anything, work out how much sun the spot actually gets. Here a north facing spot gets the most sun and the most heat and a south facing one gets the least, so a plant that loves full sun on the north side of the house can sulk on the south side. Most of the plants below want plenty of sun, and I've said where one copes with some shade.

Mint

Mint is close to impossible to kill and the bigger problem is stopping it, because it spreads by runners under the ground and will take over a garden bed if you let it. Grow it in its own pot and keep it reasonably moist, and the more you pick it the bushier it gets. It copes with part shade better than most herbs do.

Chives

Chives grow in a clump that dies back a bit in winter and comes back every spring, and when you cut them down to a few centimetres they simply regrow. They're happy in a pot or at the edge of a sunny bed, and they're one of the easiest herbs to grow from seed.

Rosemary and thyme

Rosemary is a tough shrub that loves sun and copes with dry summers once it's settled in, and the only reliable way to kill it is to keep it wet. Thyme is the same story in a smaller plant. Give either one a sunny spot with soil that drains freely and then mostly leave it alone.

Aloe vera and other succulents

Aloe vera and most succulents store water in their leaves, so they put up with being forgotten. They want a bright spot and a free draining cactus and succulent mix, and the trick is to water them properly and then let the mix dry out before you water again. Most succulents that die on someone have rotted from too much water rather than too little. Aloe doesn't like frost, so in a cold spot keep it in a pot you can move under cover for winter.

Correa

Correa is an Australian native shrub with small bell shaped flowers through the cooler months, and it's tough enough to cope with dry spells and some shade, which is more than you can say for most flowering plants. The honeyeaters love it, and if you feed it at all, use a fertiliser made for natives.

The habit that kills most pot plants

Overwatering kills more pot plants than anything else, because roots need air as well as water and a pot that's always wet has none. Push a finger into the mix up to the second knuckle before you water, and if it's still damp down there, leave it for another day. A pot with a drainage hole and no saucer of water sitting underneath it fixes most of the rest.

I think anyone can grow things and it just takes a few goes to work out what suits your spot and your habits. It's a lot easier to get there if you ask somebody first, so just let us know what you're working with when you're in.